UK and India to expand their exceptional research relationship to work together to address global challenges including agriculture, health, environment and climate change.

Science Minister Sam Gyimah also today confirms the next step towards a UK-India joint advanced manufacturing centre, as part of a new UK-India Technology Partnership.

Announcement comes as part of the Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the UK today.

Science Minister, Sam Gyimah, has today (Wednesday 18 April) announced, as part of Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the UK, that the UK will continue to grow its already strong research partnership with India with tech-focused investments that focus on issues of global importance including agriculture, clean energy, global health and the environment.

Britain is established as India’s second largest research partner, with joint investment between both countries in science and innovation having grown from almost nothing in 2008 to around £400 million by 2021, including over 200 individual projects, involving 175 different UK and Indian research institutions and more than 100 industry partners, funded in the last decade.

The expanded partnership will help deliver on the UK’s ambition to be the world’s most innovative nation through its Industrial Strategy, while ensuring UK and Indian researchers, innovators and institutions are combining knowledge and expertise to feed the world’s hungry, protect our environment, save lives and drive economic inclusion. For example, the UK and India are working to deliver a second wave of new joint projects under the Global Research Programme on Health, with UK and Indian researchers working trilaterally with partners in low-income countries to look at chronic and infectious diseases facing women and their unborn children.

Science Minister Sam Gyimah said:

By combining our best minds, our brightest innovators and our most forward-thinking institutions we will strengthen the living and learning bridge between our countries and achieve more together than we could alone.

India is the world’s fastest growing major research power and the UK is one of the world’s top performing research nations. Together we will continue to build our unique relationship, ensuring that it is a partnership that brings benefits to countries across the world through world-class research that address shared goals.

Included in the package are research and innovation funding awards made by UKRI under the following Newton-Bhabha Programmes:

Pulses and Oilseeds – under a £7m joint programme projected to increase the productivity, resilience, sustainability and quality of pulses and oilseeds grown for food or feed

Urban Transformations – under a £3.5m programme to address issues around rapid urbanisation including issues that are predicted to arise in developing areas like urban planning, governance and management

Bio-Technology for Industrial Waste - a £16m programme focused on reducing industrial waste and pollution, and improving the recoverable value from waste using biotechnology

A £10m cross council Anti-Microbial Resistance programme, harnessing every discipline to address this challenge

Sir Mark Walport, Chief Executive UK Research and Innovation said:

The creation of UK Research and Innovation comes at an exciting time for both the UK and India. As the UK aims to raise total research and development investments to address global development challenges and new strategic priorities, so is India boosting investment in research and innovation, presenting a huge opportunity for collaboration in business-led innovation and high-quality research that changes lives.

The Met Office and the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MOES) have signed a statement of intent to establish a Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership for India (WCSSP India), supported by the Newton-Bhabha Fund. WCSSP India will facilitate joint scientific research to improve natural hazard forecasts, particularly for high-impact weather events.

As part of the UK-India Technology Partnership being agreed today by the PM and Indian Prime Minister Modi, the UK and India have also announced a shared ambition to strengthen the two countries manufacturing relationship.

The Technology Partnership will build on existing cooperation with the UK and India set to complete a joint study as part of the Partnership the first step towards the potential establishment of an Advanced Manufacturing Centre. Such a centre would support each nation’s Industrial Strategy and in turn drive growth and jobs in both countries.

India is already the second most populous country in the world and is projected to be the third largest economy by 2030. India’s rapid economic growth is already having a significant impact globally. India’s official development finance, private sector-led trade and investment flows, political influence and thought leadership are all growing.

Notes to Editors

The UK ended traditional aid to India in 2015 and replaced it with a new partnership which will deliver clear benefits for both our countries: creating new investment and innovation opportunities and boosting trade links. Much of this is done through development capital investment that will generate a financial return for the British taxpayer.

Our global research partnership with India complements this; India is a rising global power with a rapidly growing economy and increasing engagement in countries that are priorities for the UK and on global issues that matter to the UK, such as counter terrorism, climate change and health security. ODA spending to support the global development partnership is not aid to India.

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